


flickor flickor flickor pojke

by pdure



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Gen, High School, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-02-21 10:26:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2464868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pdure/pseuds/pdure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wanted to write this one</p><p>http://spoopygilbird.tumblr.com/post/97594017468/alright-so-lets-talk-about-that-sweden-and-aph</p><p>Berwald is the 'new guy' and due to his intimidating nature, somehow befriends most of the girls in his school instead of the guys. Little does he know how awesome friendship with girls can be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. för blyg

**Author's Note:**

  * For [http://spoopygilbird.tumblr.com](/gifts?recipient=http%3A%2F%2Fspoopygilbird.tumblr.com).



> Sweden- Berwald Denmark- Matthias  
> Poland- Feliks Estonia- Eduard

Berwald stood in front of the school gate. He sighed. Being the new guy is not something he looks forward too. He found himself too tall, to awkward, to quiet to enjoy the first day of his new school.

Taking another deep breath, he started walking toward the school gate.

His parents moved in the summer to finally get closer to his dad's interior design office, but that meant switching schools as well. Berwald did not mind that much, in truth he thought about switching schools earlier. His classmates went out of his way because of his intimidating nature, and his diffidence did not help either.

_Being lonely really sucks. A lot._

The only thing that made him regret the situation a little was a boy.

A very special boy.

He has spotted him at the local flea market 2 months ago.  Berwald helped his father setting up a stand for selling decor items on that day. The boy approached the stand with a smile and showed his interest in one of the modern-looking vases, 'as a gift for my mother', Berwald recalled him saying. Unfortunately, Berwald's shyness did not allow him to ask for his name -or of more importance- his mobile number. If Matthias had been there, he would have encouraged Berwald to speak to the boy.

But he wasn't there. Same for Berwald's confidence.

Social awkwardness sucked, too.

 

Suddenly,  the tall blond felt someone bumping into him. A quiet shriek followed.

„Oh my, I am so sorry!“ The voice behind him gasped.

He turned around.

„It's OK, nothing happened.“ He examined the girl carefully. Her green eyes widened, and Berrwald noticed her taking one step back.

 

_Great, now I scared her._

 

Both were standing there, eyeing each other. Berwald felt the silence between growing.

„Are..you ok?“, Berwald asked. Judging by the smaller girl's expression, she did not expect him to be considerate.

She blinked. „Yeah, I am. Sorry, but you are just so ...

... **tall**.“ Her words followed a little, albeit nervous smile.

Something taken aback by her words, he raised an eyebrow. „I am not sure what you mean.“

Her cheeks took on a pink colour. „Oh, I did not mean it as an insult. I am just surprised, that is all.“

Her eyes focused at the ground instead, fidgeting with her skirt.

Berwald let out a slow breath. People were usually intimated by his statue, especially when smaller than him. His best friend, Matthias, was scared at first too. But then his friendly nature took over and they both bonded over video games and various other interests, such as hiking and fishing. Both loved the outdoors and never missed a chance to go camping in the woods on sunny weekends. Slapping each other with recently caught fish on the river banks became somewhat of a tradition.

However, Matthias was not here to guide him through this situation. Berwald knew he could not always rely on him for socialising, but the current incident made him regret having said anything at all. He did not do good in conversations, it was not his strongest point. Especially not small talk.

His mind frantically searched for anything that Matthias would do in this situation. The Dane would try to flirt with the girl, make her laugh, be friendly to her. He was a ladies man, after all (according to Matthias' opinion, of course.).

Berwald furrowed his brows upon that thought. He did not like girls _that_ way.

 _Wait_. _I could ask for her name._

Introducing himself would break the silence, that is for sure.

Clearing his throat, he began to speak.

„I am Berwald. A tall guy, as you have already noticed.“ his stoic expression did not give away the playful tone in his voice. To his surprise, the blonde looked up from fidgeting with her skirt. Picking up on the hint, she tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear.

„My name is Feliks. Again, sorry for bumping into you.“

 

_Pardon?_

 

Berwald's eyes widened slighty. A moment passed.

„Um“, he stuttered.

Did he possibly misunderstood? Again, the situation became a bit overwhelming for him. He was not sure how to handle it. The person in front of him was definetely wearing a skirt. How come he heard her saying 'Feliks'?

Slowy, the gears in his head began working.

_Oh. How stupid of me._

Lowering his head into his face, he hid his embarassment.

„You ok?“ Green eyes kept watching him.

„Judging by your clothes, I assumed you were a girl. Sorry.“ The taller blond bit his bottom lip.

„Now you are the surprised one, huh?“ Feliks inquired, crossing his arms. His voice now beared a hint of mischief.

The taller blond removed his hand. Berwald noticed that Feliks rolled his r's, similar to his mother's Norrlandic dialect. But it was much more prominent in Felik's case.

„More like curious. Are you just dressing like a girl or do you identify as a girl?“

Feliks waved his wand. „Nah, I am still a boy. Girl's clothes are just cuter, I think. Also,“ Feliks bent one leg forward, „Tights accentuate my legs. A little body positivity does not harm anyone.“ Winking at the last statement, he earned a small blush from Berwald.

The taller teen noticed how Feliks warmed up when talking about his wardrobe. Somehow, the nervous stance was gone and instead, he gave off vibes of confidence.

_Maybe he isn't as timid as I thought._

The movement of the pupil's body caught his attention. He pushed up the glasses on his frame. Feliks followed his glance to the door.

„The bell rings in 15 minutes, but some like to come in early. What is your first period? Did you check your time table yet?“

The taller boy nodded.

„It's informatics. Mrs. Honda, I believe.“

A small smile began to spread on the smaller boys' face.

„Great. My friend Eduard has the same class. Do you want me to introduce you to him?“

The offer was quite unexpected. Berwald did not expect Feliks to come out of his way to be so friendly to a stranger, especially not on his first day of school. Suddenly, Feliks grabbed his hand and dragged the taller blonde behind him.

„Actually, you are going to meet him right now.“ He pointed with his chin toward a group of male students next to the stair case. Berwald did not hesitate to go with him.

Sometimes all it takes is a friendly person willing to show you the way around.

 


	2. rullande framåt r

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the girls appear. woot-woot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Latvia-Raivis Lithuania-Toris Estonia- Eduard Prussia-Gilbert Germany-Ludwig Russia-Ivan
> 
> Liechtenstein-Erika Ukraine- Yekaterina/Katya Belarus-Natalia

Both walked over to the group of three beside the stairs. Berwald glanced at the gate to the right. It was odd of Feliks to drag him to the other guys. They barely knew each other. His offer seemed almost too kind, and Berwald grew suspicious. It can be doubted that Feliks had something in mind, but again: he immediately backed away when Berwald confrontonted him, then talked about his tights when asked about his gender. The contradictory confused him.

Standing in front of the boys, Feliks let go of his hand and greeted them with a wave. One of them, wo wore his brown hair tied back in a small ponytail, nudged a blond boy with his elbow. The smallest of them sitting on the stairs widened his eyes when seeing Berwald. „So, this guy here is Berwald.“ Feliks's thumb pointed at him. „He has Mrs Honda in first period,.“ The smaller boy shifted nervously. A hand in front of berwald caught his attention. „Hi, I'm Eduard. Nice to meet you.“ The taller teen gave his a light squeeze, careful not to intimidate him even more. He could sense the other ones' stiffness. „And I am Toris“ The brunet offered a nervous smile, hands in his pockets. „This is Raivis.“ Just blinking in response, Raivis did not show much of a reaction hearing his name. His hunched shoulders made him seem a lot smaller than he actually is. Berwald felt how unnatural the silence among them was. Clasping his hands together, Feliks spoke up. „Anyway, do you know anyone here?“Shaking his head, Berwald folded his arms.“That's a No, then. Did you move here recently?“ Nodding his head, he signaled a yes. Toris and Eduard exchanged a worried glance, finding his lack of words rather strange. Regardless, Feliks's and Berwald's dialogue remained mainly one-sided, much to Berwald's frustration. Him being the silent type set conversations rather difficult.

A shrill bell announced the beginning of school, and the halls were filling with pupils trotting to their class rooms. Berwald followed Eduard silently. Some of the pupils passing by gloated at him, making Berwald feel concious of his height. Being a head taller than the surrounding people, his height drew a good fraction of their attention. Stares were something he was used to, but they still bothered him. It was rather annoying. Hushed murmurs around him made him feel even more out of place. He overheard the words 'tall' and 'scary', and some even turned their heads, surveying his stoic demeanor. His jaw clenched as he entered the classroom, leaving the door open for others to come in.

Taking a seat next to Eduard, he sat down and placed his bag on his desk. Two other girls filled the row, and their soft voices were involved in light chatter. The sound of the closing door drew everyone's attention to the front, where the teacher announced the beginning of class. A second bell ran again.

Class went by as usual, nothing out of the ordinary, as far as Berwald could observe. Second period was the same, although he noticed two boys keeping their distance from him. Pretending not to notice, he tried to talk to some of his class mates, but their defensive stance signaled how nervous he made them feel., alas he became quiet again.

The next days followed the same pattern. Somehow only Feliks managed to talk to him. Others were simply too scared, and Berwald left it at that. Lunches became boring, so Berwald spent them in study halls revising notes and doing homework to distract himself from his solitude. He quickly grew fond of the room next to the principal's office. The big windows brightened the room and due to the location, no one actually disturbed him working. Sometimes he texted Matthias, telling him of all the projects he wanted to work on when visiting the local woodshop that day. Other timess he asked him about what has changed since he left. In turn, Matthias complained about how he misses his best friend: talking to him during class, making plans for the weekend or laughing at their insider jokes.

Reminiscing about their fun times together, Berwald looked out of the window. He did not hear the wooden door opening. „Oh, excuse us. Can we go in here?“ The shy voice asked. Berwald turned his head toward her. A blonde girl with a ribbon in her hair clutched her hand in front of her chest, and he noticed two more girls behind her. The other had a ribbon, too, but on top of her head instead on the side, and her hair reached her shoulders. The other girl beside her wore a headband, giving a little smile. The dimples in her plump cheeks were visible. They waited for a response.

Berwald nodded, moving his binder to his side of the table to make room for them. The three girls approached the table and sat down, the girl with the longer hair placing herself on the edge of the table instead. The curvier girl with the headband observed him a little, and when meeting her gaze, she mouthed a small „Oh.“ „What is it?“, the short blonde asked. „I think I know who you are!“ Berwald could hear her rolling her r, like Feliks did when speaking. She blinked. „Berwald, I believe, right? Feliks told me about you.“ He nodded. She smiled and turned to the other girls. „He is the new guy Feliks was talking about the entire time.“

„Oh, it's him?“ This time, the girl on the edge of the table took an interested look at him. „We were wondering about you, Feliks spoke a lot of you but we simply could not find you.“

„You..were looking for me?“ He raised an eyebrow. He recognised the girls from some of his classes, sitting two or three rows behind him. If he recalls correctly, the girl with the long hair was Natalia, and the short blonde Erika. He had no idea who the other one was though, he has not met her before. Judging by her looks, she seemed to be the oldest of the trio.

Erika tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. „Well, we can't really talk during class, and you walk out of there sooner than we do.“

„Even Katya was helping us in our search.“ Natalia tilted her head to the side. „But now we found you.“

The answer made him feel nervous. Why where they looking for a guy they did not know yet? It didn't make sense. „Why?“

„Feliks told us how lonely you are. The other boys seem to avoid you. We are here to offer you to hang out with us instead.“ Katya's eyes had a friendly glint to them.

„Only if you want to, of course.“ Erika quickly added.

„Um.“ Berwald was taken aback by their unexpected offer. Sure, he did not mind hanging out with girls, they seem very friendly, but did Feliks really ask them to come to him? He was puzzled. Nevertheless, he agreed. Thinking of how envious Matthias would be when telling him of his new friends, Berwald's mouth formed a small smile. „Sure.“

Erika clasped her hands together. „Great! I am sure you know me and Natalia, but you haven't met Katya yet.“

Stretching out a hand to Berwald, the older girl introduced herself. „It's actually Yekaterina, but Katya is ok, too. Feliks calls me Kasia though.“ Berwald shook her hand, surprised by her strong grip. „I am Natalia's and Ivan's older sister.“ The male name did not tell Berwald anything. However, he did not see much similarity between the siblings. Katya was the heavier sister, her round face making her face look friendly, but Natalia was quite the opposite. Unlike Katya, her oval face paired with sharp features gave her face a stern expression. Also,her sleek hair was platin, not a honey blonde like Katya's . Only their eye colour and the shape of their noses beared their resemblance. It also seemed that Natalia did not have an accent.

Come to think of it, the German siblings Ludwig and Gilbert didn't bear much resemblance, either. But that was mostly due to Gilbert's albinoism. Something Berwald has only read about in biology books, not actually witnessed.

Retreating her hand, Berwald asked her about why Feliks asked them to come to him.

„You should have seen how excited he was about you asking about his gender. That was the first ever someone was nice about him wearing girl's clothes“, Erika explained. „That made us curious, too. It means you are a nice person.“

„Nice in comparison to most of the boys. Only Vanya seems to have some sense of politness when it comes to people“, Natalia stated.

„Vanya?“, he asked.

„Oh, I meant Ivan.“ She bowed her head, part of her hair falling forward. „It's the russian nickname“, she spoke softly.

Erika placed her hand gently on top of Natalia's, her brows furrowed in worry.

Katya casted a worried look to her younger sister, and Berwald sensed that somehow, she felt uncomfortable.

 

„So you speak Russian?“

„At home, yes. It's our native language“, the older girl said slowly, eyes still on Natalia. 

 He leaned back in his chair. Crossing his arms, he continues. „Ah, that's why roll your r's. Feliks does too. Is he russian?“

Erika shook her head. „He was born here, but speaks Polish at home. But he still sticks to his accent.“

Berwald looked at Natalia's bowed head. Biting down on her lip, she concentrated on the light reflecting of the table. He looked at Katya again.

„My mother rolls her r's the same way you do when speaking Swedish. It's a dialect.“ He paused. „I wonder why I don't do the same. Maybe because I  secretly prefer my dad's south Swedish.“

Natalia looked up, averting her eyes on him again. „So you speak Swedish?“

He turned his head in her direction and nodded. „Sometimes with my best friend, too. I taught him some. His parents are Danish, so it was easy for him. We don't text in Swedish though, too lazy to change the settings on the keyboard.“

Smiling at the last sentence, Natalia's mood seemed to have lightened, and Erika retreated her hand. Katya leaned forward, propping one elbow on the table.

 

„Were you born in Sweden, too?“

 

For the first time since Berwald has attended this school, he did not feel out of place when talking to someone.


	3. Kärleksfull pussar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Russia-Ivan

At the end of his last period, Berwald was not the first to leave class this time. Instead, he was waiting for Natalia and Erika packing their things up. However, he did notice a blonde guy eyeing him suspiciously from the back of the room.

_Hm._

„Don't mind him“, Erika said. She was placing her red binder in her bag. „He's a weirdo.“ Natalia smirked knowingly, zipping up her bag. „If he starts bothering you, tell me. Although I doubt he'll talk to you.“ The smaller blonde rolled her eyes.

Berwald raised an eyebrow. „He's overprotective. It's always been that way“, she shrugged. Natalia swung her bag over her shoulder, and the group of three walked out of the room.

Natalia and her siblings lived in Berwald's neighbourhood, thus sharing the same way home. Both waved Lilly goodbye and approached their bus stop. They talked about their plans for the day, and Berwald learned that Natalia took ballet classes about three times a week. Two, if she needed to study for an upcoming test.

When taking their seats in the bus, Natalia took out a piece of paper from her note book and scribbled something down. She handed it to him, and he recognised two phone numbers. „The first one is for the phone at home“, her index finger pointed at the numerals on top. „Second one is my mobile phone. I prefer texting over calling.“ Nodding with his head, Berwald gave a sign that he understood. „And for the love of god, please, no facetime. I hate it.“

 

Throwing himself down on his mattress, Berwald breathed out. Stroking the quilt of his bed spread absent mindedly, a grin spread a cross his face. _Today was a good day_.

His hands reached for his pillow and he hugged it, nuzzling his face into the fabric.

 

When approaching the bus stop in the morning, the blonde sisters waved him hello. A tall boy with a scarf stood between them, smiling in his direction. He was at least 20 cm taller than the girls, on exact eye level with Berwald.

„Berwald, this is Ivan. Our brother.“ Berwald noticed that Natalia's arm was clinged under her brothers. It looked like Ivan was used to it, though. He gave a small nod in Berwald's direction, his head tilting to the side. „Ah,you are the one Katya made such a fuss about.“ 

Katya gasped theatrically, forming a wide 'o' with her lips.„I did _not_!“ Raising her voice in protest, his sister nudged lightly him with her elbow. "Liar." Her accusation caused Ivan to giggle. When smiling, both had prominent dimples. It made Berwald wonder whether Natalia had dimples, too. He has not seen them yet, or at least she did not smile wide enough to show them. Ivan's hair resembled Natalia's shade closely, but it had more volume and it was fetheary. Just like Katya's.

„Well, you did talk about him a lot. You live in the new appartement complex, да ? It looks very nice from the outside.“ The tall bond nodded in response. He thought Katya had a strong accent, but Ivan's speech proved to sound more foreign compared to hers. „What floor do you live on?“

 

On the bus ride to school, the siblings discussed their school career with Berwald. Turns out, Ivan was a grade above Natalia and one under Katya's, thus making her the oldest sibling. Natalia sat next to Ivan, their arms clinged together most of the time. Either her arm was under Ivan's, or she was tugging on his jacket, not letting go of him once. Berwald thought it was odd, but he himself had no siblings and quickly dismissed it as a display of their strong bond. Their light chatter revolved around school and past experiences with teachers (Natalia warned him not to mess with Mrs Honda; despite how innocent she might look, her ways of discipline are a nightmare), and Katya's quarrels with her brother made Natalia roll her eyes at their childish behaviour. Berwald chuckled slightly at Ivan mimicking his sister, and she in turn sticked out her tongue or blew raspberries at him. 

Both sisters intended to introduce him to the rest of their friends, so Ivan waved a goodbye and gave Natalia a small hug, whispering something quietly in her ear Berwald assumed was Russian. She nodded in return, and the three of them took the opposite direction. Natalia walked beside her sister as Katya asked Berwald what subject he had next. He recognized Erika standing with two dark haired girls in front of them, her hands moving along with her words. 

Feliks was there too, admiring a brunette's leather jacket. He looked up and waved toward the approaching bunch. Berwald waved back, contemplating the other girls he didn't know yet.

Well, he did know them. They were in his classes, but he was too distracted trying to get along with the boys than talking to them.

„Everyone, this is Berwald, the guy Feliks“, Katya's eyes narrowed at him,“made us having to look for him.“ 

The other boy leaned on the girl's shoulder, eyes on Berwald. „Good that you're finally here. This,“ his arm made a circular motion,“ is my squad.“

The girl beside him snorted and turned her headto the side, Erika's fingers touched her forehead. Katya giggled, and Natalia rolled her eyes for the second time this morning.

„Really, Feliks?“ the girl with the leather jacket giggled, and her brown bob moved along with her head. „Sounds awful.“ Feliks pouted at that last statement, making the other girl giggle even more. Berwald noticed Katya and Natalia receiving bisous from the dark haired girls. 

 

Meanwhile, the whole group started giving each other kisses, cheek on cheek, on either side. Erika demanded that he bowed down a little. 

 

_ What for? _

 

Berwald bent his knees, hunching forward. He noticed her standing on her tip toes, and her bringing her face up close to his own. He felt the light pressure of her cheek, and the ensuing kissy noise echoed back in his ear.

Startled, he jolted a little and blushed, the pink colour creeping up right where her cheek was seconds before.

His hand came up to his face, cupping his cheek. „Um.“ 

 

_ That was unexpected. _

 

Her green eyes glanced at him, one brow up in surprise. „That's how we greet, silly.“

„Boys too?“ It was not like he didn't know girls' ways of greeting, he witnessed it several times and joked about it with Matthias. But he did not expect them to greet him the same way. 

 

At all.

 

Pushing Erika gently to the side,Feliks came up instead and nodded his head. Pressing his cheek to Berwald's just like Erika did,he increased the smooch sound in volume, earning a small smile from Berwald. Soon, all of the girls started exchanging kisses with each other, including Berwald, introducing each other. He felt like being inducted to their routines. 

The corners of his mouth formed a mischievious smile.  


_ Can't wait what Matthias will say when telling him about this. _


	4. blomkronor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vietnam- Phoungh-Thanh  
> Taiwan- Chen  
> Seychelles- Ramatoulaye  
> Hungary-Elizaveta

After the ritual ceremony of giving each other kisses, Berwald could swear the guysdropped their mouths to the ground. They were just so shocked that a guy like him was so friendly with the girls. Feliks followed his gaze and shook his head, making a disapproving sound by flicking his tongue.

„Elizaveta and Ramen are not here yet, but that's the rest of our group.“ he tried to lean on Katya's shoulder this time.

„Ramen?“ The name did not tell Berwald anything, except that it was a famous brand of noodles. Why do they call her that?

 

„Short for Ramatoulaye. Elizaveta got tired of calling her full name, and she got stuck with 'Ramen instead.“ Natalia shook her head, her platin hair following the movement. „Elizaveta is way too much into anime, just like Chen.“

 

Berwald let out a breath of air through his nose. The nickname was just too adorable.

The other girls glanced at Chen now, whose dark hair reached to her waist. Flower clips were placed on each side of her head, accentuating her side swept bangs. It reminded Berwald of cutesy japanese fashion.

„You would be too. Admit it.“ Crossing her arms, Chen sent Natalia a challenging look. „I bet you would watch the gory and horror ones.“

„Oh god, why do you always think of me as a psycho?“, Natalia growled. Her exasperation made Erika giggle softly.

„Phoungh-Thanh's the same, she says she is not into it but binge watched Tokyo Ghoul.“

„You forced me to!“

„Lies!“

„As if! You were too scared to watch it on your own!“ Phoungh Thanh retorted, an accusing finger pointing to Chen. „You practically begged me to watch it with you. And all that fuss just because you wanted to impress Kiku!“

The quarrel earned a round of laughter from the group and Chen reddened instantly. She stuttered at first, but eventually closed her mouth, deciding on shooting her friend a gloomy look instead. A victorious grin spread over Phoungh-Thanh's face. The laughter died down a little, and Berwald could not help but wonder what kind of person Elizaveta actually is.

„Living with you must be so annoying“, Erika huffed. „No wonder your brother looks like he's done with everything all the time.“

 

The lights of the ceiling flickered when teh teacher hit the lights, and Berwald sat down next to Noor, the girl with the leather jacket. It was hung over the back of her chair, and he understood why Feliks seemed to have taken great interest in it. The leather was high quality, it must have been a designer jacket of some sort.

„Let me say Hi to Arthur real quick.“ She stood up and strided over to a blond boy with a grumpy expression on his face.Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she let out a small giggle as Arthur blushed, murmuring something along the lines of 'Good morning'.Berwald observed the scene in front of him. It reminded him of how his father kisses his mother on her cheek when handing her a cup of coffee in the morning. He too wished to experience the same thing someday. With someone who would like him, not be intimated by him..

The blond boy from the flea market came to his mind. Berwald felt heat rising up in his cheek, and his heart pounding.

_Would I be able to see him again?_

Lately, the tall teen could not get him out of his mind. When was the last time someone impressed him with so little effort? Sighing, he leaned his face into his hand, his gaze fixed on Arthur and Noor.

He did not notice a girl sitting down beside him, his mind too occupied with the blond boy's endearing smile.

„They are a cute couple, aren't they?“ Her voice interrupted Berwald's daydreaming. Nodding his head slowly, he processed her words.

„How long have they been dating?“

 

Arthur tended to keep quiet about his relationship, he just wasn't the type to bloat about his girlfriend at any given chance. Berwald has seen them walking down the hallway before, holding hands and chatting happily with each other. They seemed very happy with each other, always a small smile on their faces.

The girl tilted her head and pressed her lips together, eyes still on Noor and Arthur. They were holding hands now, Arthur's thumb stroking over Noor's hand.

„Hmm, a year or so.“ She turned her head to face Berwald. Her brows furrowed.„Feliks told me to look for you...?“

 

„Ah yes.“ He cleared his throat. „The rest of the group found me. I guess you are Ramen, then?“

He quirked one eyebrow at her, deciding to not let her live it down. He grinned as she placed one dark hand in front of her face.

„Gosh, I hate that nickname. Why did she had to name me after noodles?“

Their joined laughter quickly came to a halt quickly when the teacher shut the door, announcing the beginning of class.

 

 

At lunch time, the girls and Berwald gathered in a circle on the grass of the school's yard, enjoying the warm rays of sun shine. Erika munched on her sandwich, Phoungh-Thanh and Chen revised their notes for art class and Noor's head was in Natalia's lap, both fishing out grapes from a blue lunch container. Yekaterina concentrated on reading a book, high lighting some words and phrases she deemed important. Berwald checked his phone for texts, deleting some to save space.

 

„What's in the bag?“ He looked up from his phone and squints at Noor. Her arm pointed to a white plastic bag beside Chen, a few flowers peeking out.

„It's for art class. We want to make flower crowns for a group project, but those are only prototypes.“ Phoungh-Thanh did not even bother to look up, still concentrating on her notes.

 

„Oh, we wear flower crowns on Kupala Night.“ Yekaterina chimed. She stopped reading to eye the plastic bag curiously.

„What's Kupala night?“ Berwald asked.

„It's slavic tradition. Russians celebrate Kupala night on the sixth and seventh of July.“ Yekaterina glanced over to Berwald, a wide smile spread on her face. „Kinda like Midsummer. Everyone wears traditional folk costumes, and girls wear flower crowns. A bonfire is set up, and people sing songs and stuff.“ She giggled slightly.

„Remember when we tried to celebrate it with Mum and Dad?“ her eyes beamed to her younger sister, who wiped her hands on the grass beneath her.

„Didn't they invite almost all of their friends? I remember lots of people were with us.“

„Sounds cool. What do you do on Kupala night?“, Chen asked, eyes sparkling with interest.

 

„Well, we set up a bon fire and jump over it. It's to test your bravery.“ Yekaterina elaborated.

„Girls wear flower crowns and release it into rivers. The flow of the flower garlands determines your future“ Natalia's hands were fiddling with the lunch box.

„How do you read your future?“ Noor asked. The topic seemed to strike everyone's interest.

„When it stays on the water, you will eventually find your soul mate. Usually the guys try to pick them up to flirt with the girls. When it drowns“, the corners of her mouth went up slightly, „you will stay a virgin. Forever.“

„How cruel!“ Erika cried out.

Both Natalia and Yekaterina shrugged, amused by the other's reactions. Chen took one flower crown out, showing it to the whole group. „Do you think it would drown?“

„Probably not. You're safe“, Berwald answered. He leaned forward to inspect it further, noticing how the flowers were glued on top of the thin wire. It would do enough for a sculpture, but not for actually wearing it; he has made some experience with hot glue in the past.

She giggled and placed it on top of his head, careful not to move his glasses.

„There you go.“ Everyone chuckled, seeing Berwald with a flower crown on top of his head. It made a funny contrast to his stoic looking face.

Noor chuckled. „Looks good on you.“

„Really?“ He touched the delicate flowers with his fingers, re-adjusting it. „I should take a picture then.“ He tossed his phone to Erika and faced the still giggling Chen.

"Let's make a picture together. The three of us.“ His eyes wandered to Phoungh-Thanh, who already reached for the other flower crowns in the bag. The two girls placed them on top of their heads and kneed beside Berwald, Phoungh-Thanh on the right, Chen on the left. They placed their arms on his shoulders, smiling sweetly into the camera. Even Berwald managed to form a little smile. 

Erika stood up, intending to take the picture from above. Eyes on the display, she tried to fit the three of them in the frame. A slight smirk creeped on her face.

 

„Come on, pretty boy. _Smile_.“


	5. Köks skämt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elizaveta-Hungary  
> Gilbert- Prussia  
> Kiku-Japan

Erika handed his phone back to him. Chen and Phoungh-Thanh immediately checked whether the picture was good enough to keep, and after a minute of careful inspection, Berwald was allowed to save it.

He swept his index finger to the 'share'-button on his phone.

„What are you gonna do with it?“ Chen eyed the phone from the side.

„This is going on instagram.“ He chose a filter and pressed the 'next'-button. Berwald looked up. „If that's okay.“

She gave a big smile while Phoungh-Thanh nodded in approval.

„You have an account? What is your username?“ Chen took out her phone enthusiastically, unlocking the screen with a quick brush of her thumb.

The tall boy nodded, spelling out his username for her. He averted his eyes back to his phone, concentrating on adding a caption below the picture.

„I didn't know you even had one“, Phoungh-Thanh admitted. „You don't seem like one of those guys who upload selfies.“

He looked up, suprised by that statement. „Actually, I do not post selfies. The only photos of me are the ones with my best friend and me.“ He gave her her phone, his account on display. Their picture was up, however he decided to not put tags on them.

„The rest are pictures of my projects. See?“

She scrolled down, looking at unedited pictures of wooden furniture, glass crafts and occasional shots of campin trips. A glass-butterfly caught her attention. She tapped on it, making the picture bigger. „You did this by yourself?“ Her eyes widened, amazed by how pretty the glass craft looked. Its wings were framed by wire, and the light shining through the coloured glass added a nice effect to it.

Erika looked over her shoulder to inspect the filigrane work.

„It looks so pretty.“ Erika's compliment made Berwald blush a little.

„Wow, you can even make furniture! That's really cool!“ Judging by the excited look of Chen, she already managed to scroll further down. She tapped on a picture and showed it to Berwald, holding it up to his face. „Who's that?“

The picture showed Berwald and Matthias sitting on a wooden bench, a camping bag placed between Matthia's legs. He made a peace-sign with his right, his left holding on to the stuffed bag. Berwald's head was turned to the side, facing Matthias.

He remembered that picture. It was their last camping trip before Berwald moved, and Matthias insisted on taking a photograph together this time.

„My best friend, Matthias.“ He tapped on one of the comments underneath it, leading to his best friend's account. „Unlike me“,he turned the phone around so the screen faced Chen again. „He _does_ take selfies.“

Looking at the screen again, Chen almost dropped her mouth.„Oh my god“, she whispered. „He's hot.“

Tapping furiously to get a better look on his selfies, Phoungh-thanh let out an amused sound. „Uh-oh. Kiku's got competition.“ She smirked.

„I said he looks hot“, Chen rolled her eyes, „Not that I am into him.“

„Let me see, too.“ Noor got up and crawled over to Chen, almost snatching the phone away from the girl.

Berwald chuckled. „What about Arthur?“, he teased.

„I'm just looking.“ Not even bothering to look up from the phone, Noor continued browsing through the gallery. She let out a whistle, obviously impressed by his good looks. „Chen's right. He's quite a dish.“

Chen took her phone back, scrolling down further. More selfies appeared, some taken in the mirror, some from above, but the blond's signature smile did not change. Sometimes he flexed his muscles too, posing for the camera with his smug smile.

„Talk about selfies. How many does he have? Geez.“

Berwald breathed out through his nose. He already expected a similar reaction from the girls. Matthias was aware of his looks, and was not afraid to show them off. His usual morning routine consisted of ten minutes for his hair alone, and Berwald remembers all to well waiting for his best friend to finish blow-drying and styling his hair with gel before leaving the house.

On second thought, he might not be aware, but also a _wee bit_ obsessed with his looks.

Natalia seated herself beside her older sister, leaning her head on Yekaterina's shoulder. The blonde put a hair on Natalia's hair, stroking her scalp softly, her eyes still fixed on the book.

He cleared his throat, trying to pry the girl's attention from Matthias's instagram. „So, I met almost all of you..“ He let his gaze wander over the group. „Except for Elizaveta?“

Noor tilted her head to the side. „Actually, you might not meet her today.“

_Oh?_

Erika kneeled down to sit. „She will come tomorrow, though.“ Smoothing out the wrinkles in her jeans, she continued. „When her suspension is over.“

Berwald eyes widened. School has started just recently, how could she get suspended _already_?

„Why?“

„Because she got caught fighting with Gilbert.“ Chen's grin widened.

„But he's still in school?“ Berwald's face frowned. Last time he saw the white haired boy was during P.E., although he sat on the bank instead of actively participating.

„Well, she started it. It does not take much to provoke her, especially when it comes to Gilbert.“ She stressed his name. „Apparently she punched him first. Right in the jaw.“

_Ow, that must have hurt._

„Does she get aggressive that fast?“ Frankly, he started feeling intimated by her.

 _You must have real guts if you want to punch someone like Gilbert_.

Getting into a fight with him seemed a bad idea, regarding his baby brother who looked like he could take someone out in the blink of an eye. Punching him would certainly not be a good idea either.

Phoungh-Thanh shook her head. „No, only if you say something really stupid.“

„Like insulting her.“ Erika continued. „Or making kitchen jokes.“

He remained silent, thinking.

Matthias made those jokes when playing video games, he remembered. But he did not know why they would offend anyone. Those were harmless jokes? Nothing to take serious, or getting angry over.

„What about them?“

Suddenly, he felt the weight of all eyes on him. Even Yekaterina, who listened to the conversation enough to follow, looked up from her book. Natalia gave him a hairy eyeball, too.

„Uh.“

He sensed the mood shifting slightly, a feel of guilt pooling down in his stomach. He brought his palms up in defense. „Did I say something bad?“

Phoungh-Thanh let out a huff of air. „Do you find them funny?“

He slowly shook his head in response. He did not find them funny. Matthias did not laugh about them either. But why were the girls so annoyed?

„I am not telling people to gomake me a sandwich, if you think that.“ He crossed his arms. „But why are you so bugged by them? They are just words...“

„Words that are not funny.“ She sneered. „They are insulting.“

„Why?“

„Would you say that to your mother?“ Noor asked.

He shook his head again.

„So why is it okay to say that to girls? Or to anyone?“

 _Huh_.

That _was_ a good question.

Not sure how to respond, he shrugged.„It's what guys do, I guess.“

„And that makes it okay? Because guys say so?“ Phoungh-Thanh inquired. He noticed her squinted eyes, as she was observing him like he was some sort of experiment. It made him feel uneasy.

„I...don't know?“ He shifted. „Honestly, I do not know what to say. I don't really see the problem.“

Yekaterina laid her book down in her lap. Despite all the other girls looking at him like he did something wrong, she was the only one who did not frown on him.

„Think about it. Saying 'go to the kitchen' is actually an insult.“ She stopped stroking Natalia's hair, concentrating on how to explain the issue to him. „It is like saying that a girl does not belong here. That she is out of place.“

Hm. That was a good point.

„Also, it's rude.“, Natalia added. „By saying we belong to the kitchen, you also say that _she_ is supposed to serve you. To be in a lower position than you.“

„It's like saying that we _should listen_ to what you say, what guys say.“ Erika placed a hand on his shoulder. „That is not okay.“

„But those are just jokes. You are not supposed to take them seriously.“

„So why is it necessary to joke about it?“ Noor tilted her head to the side. „What is so 'funny' about being in the kitchen anyways?“

Berwald chewed on his lip for a while. He found himself under immense pressure. Why did it turn out like this? Do they hate him now? The feeling of insecurity made him stiffen.

Erika let her arm fall, letting go of his shoulder. „Guys are joking about girly things because they think that being girly is bad. That is what it is about.“

He stopped chewing his lip, thinking about Erika's words..

_Oh._

_That's the reason._

„But being girly is not a bad thing. It is the same as being a boy.“ He paused, looking at the grass on the ground. The blades were dried out, but have not turned yellow yet. If he were to rip them out, they would tear in strings, but he would not manage pulling them out of the ground in a whole. He sighed.

„It's normal.“

He fidgeted with the grass under his hand, attempting to rip out a few blades. Did they stop glowering? He held his breath in anticipation.

„I am sorry. I didn't know... how offensive it actually is.“ He looked up, his lips trying to form a nervous smile. „Are we alright now?“

Seeing happy faces instead of annoyed glances, he let out a shaky breath. 

They forgave him. And that was all that mattered for him now.

 

 

His school bag made a dull sound when hitting the floor, the heavy books causing it to fall over. Striding through the hall, he hold his phone up to his ear, waiting for Matthias to pick it up. He bend down to pick up his laptop charger, balancing it on top of his lap top to get to his room. When he opened his door, he heard a loud click through the phone.

„Hey, buddy! What's up?“

„Hey Matthias. Listen,“ he opened his lap top, turning it on by pressing the power button.

„You know that when you're online, you're joking? About going to the kitchen, or making sandwiches?“

„Yeah?“ A few seconds passed. "What about it?"

Sighing, he continued. „You need to stop making kitchen jokes.“ A second pause followed.

„Now.“


	6. Möte henne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Berwald is nervous about meeting Elizaveta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hungary- Elizaveta Hedervary

„You are beautiful“. Berwald's hands cupped the blonds' cheeks, his thumb stroking across the smooth skin.

He let out a soft giggle, pulling his cheeks up. „You are quite beautiful, too. Just like the saying t _all, dark and handsome_.“

His giggle was quickly shut down by Berwald's lips pressing gently against his own, leaning down to reach him.

The cool frame of his glasses pushed against the shorter male's face, not bothering him in the slightest. He closed his eyes, concentrating on Berwald's lips. They were warm and tender, fitting perfectly onto his own.

He grabbed him by the waist, and the taller teen could not help but embrace him, lips still pressed together.

Berwald started sucking on the blond's lower lip gently, earning a little moan from him. He felt the arms around his waist tighten, and moved his tongue to lick him inside his mouth. He felt heat rising, pooling down beneath his stomach, and his breath shorten along with the other boys' moans. His body pressing tightly against his, he felt the shorter one's hips grinding into his own, urging him to deepen the kiss.

Moving his jaw forward, he let his tongue explore the other one's mouth, grazing the inner side of his cheeks. Finally, the other one's tongue began to move along, and both moaned into their kiss, holding onto each other tightly.

 

The sound of the alarm clock forced Berwald to wake up, the dream vanishing in less than a second. Startled by the alarm, Berwald tapped on his phone's screen, shutting it off.

 

Putting the back of his hand over his eyes, he let out a frustrated sound. He scratched his chest and found his pajamas to be uncomfortably tight. Removing the hand from his view, he noticed the tent in his pants. Groaning upon the sight, he pulled the covers from him.

 

Bloody hell.

 

Berwald absentmindedly walked to the bus stop, head bowed to the ground. He did not notice the Russian siblings waving to him at first, his mind too busy with anxious thoughts about the one girl he still did not meet.

Elizaveta Hedervary.

Yesterday's stories were enough to make him frightened, even anxious to meet that girl. Was she kind? Or would she treat him not like the others?

 

_What if she hates tall people?_

 

„Are you ok?“ Katya inspected his face worringly, head tilted to the side. Her hands were in her jacket, for it was too cold to keep them out. Berwald learnt that Katya freezed easily, but her younger siblings did not mind the cold much.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. _Why did I have to get out of bed?_

„Yeah, I'm alright.“ He let his hand down. „It's just..“ He glanced to Ivan. „Elizaveta.“

Katya's mouth formed a silent 'o'.

„So you're nervous, then?“

Berwald nodded, embarassment creeping up his cheeks. He casted his eyes downward, pretending to focus on the uneven pavement.

„Do you get nervous when meeting strangers?“ Katya's voice took on a soothing tone.

 

Another nod.

 

Natalia cleared her throat „You know,“ hearing her voice made him look up, „Feliks is the same. He can't deal with strangers either.“

He blinked twice, not sure what to say. His confused look urged the shorter girl to continue.

„He says it is very hard for him. Meeting new people is somewhat scary for him“, she explained. Ivan gave an understanding nod, one hand fidgeting with his scarf. His othearm was linked with Natalia's, as usual.

„Maybe you have it, too. It's called social anxiety.“

Berwald thoguht about her words for a while. When meeting Feliks for the first time, the smaller boy did seem a little scared of him. Berwald thought it was because of his height, but now it made sense.

Feliks was not scared of Berwald. He was scared of having to _talk_ to Berwald.

The tall blond chewed on his lip.

 

„Anyway“, Ivan chimed. His thick accented voice distracted Berwald from his thoughts. „You don't need to worry. Elizaveta is actually very nice.“ He gave Berwald an encouraging smile. „Either way, she will avoid any trouble. It'd be very stupid of her to get into another fight when her suspension just ended today.“

„Can you tell me more about her?“ Berwald felt it sound more like a plea than a question.

The sound of screeching brakes signaled the arrival of the bus. The group of four moved a little to the side, allowing the doors to open.

„She is very good at swimming.“ Katya answered. „She gives children swimming lessons on the weekends. I am pretty sure that our school's swim team would be nothing without her.“

During the bus drive, Katya and Ivan told him everything about Elizaveta they knew. Natalia did not really talk, but listened and nodded from time to time. Her mornings were rather grumpy, so she stayed silent for most of the time before she felt awake enough to talk to people.

Berwald learnt that not only did Elizaveta teach children how to swim, she also taught Natalia and Ivan. As kids, the three siblings visited the local swimming pool for the first time. Katya planned on teaching them but Elizaveta offered to do it instead, wanting to show off her own skills proudly by acting as their teacher. From that time on, Elizaveta remained close friends with the siblings. She helped overcome Ivan's fear of water, which Ivan seemed to be very grateful for. Although his ears did seem quite read upon admitting that...

Walking toward the school's entrance, the taller Russian bid his sisters goodbye; hugging his younger sister and whispering something to her again.

Berwald could not help but feel curious. _I'll ask them some other time..._

 

The morning round of bisous started to feel like a rorutine to the tall blond, automatically leaning down to rub his cheek with the girl's cheeks. Even the other boy's stares did not disturb him anymore, he felt like the stares actually died down a bit.

 

He immediately spotted a girl with long brown hair and green eyes striding toward him.

 

_That must be her._

 

„Ah, so you are Berwald!“ To his surprise, a pair of strong arms slung around his waist, giving him a gentle hug. He felt her weight shifting to her tip toes, trying to reach his cheek like the other girls. Again, he leant down.

_Being so tall can be annoying sometimes._

When Elizaveta withdrawed, her smile did not dull one bit.

„Sorry that you had to wait to meet me. I will do better next time, I swear.“ She gave him a playful clap on the arm, making him feel at ease. His nervousness was gone, and he began to relax.

„Feliks told me that I simply had to meet you. Tell me more about you. I heard you just moved here?“ 


	7. Skridskor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Berwald and the Russian siblings go ice skating.
> 
> Mentions of bullying & suicide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little warning for people who have been bullied in the past: I will mention bullying. It has something to do with Natalia's background. 
> 
> Also mentions of suicide.

Trotting to the bus stop, he, Katya, Natalia and Ivan talked about school. Ivan complained about his math assignment while Katya talked about her science project. Homework, assignments and school projects began to pile up again, leaving them a little stressed.

Natalia huffed out a little air, obviously annoyed by the amount of school work. „I don't want to talk about that anymore. School is out for now.“ She tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear.

„Why don't we go ice skating instead?“

Ivan and Katya smiled brightly, exchanging excited looks with each other. Natalia pointed with her chin to the tall blond.

„Do you have time today?“

 Ivan and Katya looked at him expectantly.

„Yes, I do.“ He nodded, and both grinned happily.

„Well then“, Katya hooked arms with him. „Looks like we're gonna have fun today.“

 

Berwald was indeed looking forward to spend time with his friends.

 

After finishing his homework, Berwald placed his skates in his white linnen bag. Excitement mixed with anticipation made his heart beat faster, and he just could not wait to leave through the door and walk over to the siblings' house. It was a ten minute walk from his place, so Berwald sent a text to Katya to let them know he was on his way.

Picking them up from their house, the four of them agreed on walking to the rink instead of waiting for the bus to come. Natalia linked arms with Ivan as usual, wile Katya held hands with Berwald. He felt like holding his mother's hand instead of a friend's, but he held it nevertheless.

The group did not need to lend skates, everyone had their own pair with them. Natalia was the quickest to put them on, tying them in one swift motion. She decided to wear her middle parted hair in a bun, two loose strands framing her face. The boys soon finished tying their own skates, waiting for Katya to finish. Natalia grabbed her brother's arm impatiently, practically dragging him toward the ice with short, decided steps. Ivan wobbled along his younger sister, the height difference causing him to hunch his back a little.

Berwald helped Katya get on the ice gently, placing his hands on her back to steady her. Both decided to skate in rounds, while Ivan and Natalia showed of their skills. Berwald observed Natalia's fast spins and loops, while Ivan seemed to be fond of jumps only.

Katya followed his glance, smiling fondly at her siblings. „Papa and Mama used to take us ice skating when we were younger. I had the luck to skate with babushka, too. But I can't remember it too well, sadly.“

„Babushka?“

„Russian for Grandmother“, She explained.

„Ah. Does she still live with you?“

She looked up at him. „She died a long time ago. Ivan and Natalia don't really remember her, they were too young. Natalia can't recognise her on pictures from memory alone.“ She shook her head. „It's sad, but we cannot do much about it. Death is something we all have to deal with sooner or later.“

Berwald glided along with her, listening attentively. „I am sorry to hear that. Sounds like you loved her very much.“

„I did. Naturally, I miss her. But what I miss most is her food, actually.“ She giggled, her dimples showing through. „Her pelmeni were the best. I think I inherited her cooking talent. Mama said that mine taste just like babushka's did.“

Berwald furrowed his brow. „What are pielmeni?“

„Dumplings. They are stuffed with minced meat.“ She closed her eyes in delight. „I like them with sour cream. So delicious..“

„Stop, you're making me hungry.“ His elbow nudged her playfully, earning a laugh from the blonde.

„What do you eat at home? Traditional Swedish food?“

"Mostly fish, yes. The only typical Swedish thing we eat is Lingonberry jam. Storebought. Other than that, we eat normal foods.“ He shrugged. „Not very traditional, if you ask me."

„I was waiting for you to say 'meatballs'.“

Berwald breathed out through his nose. „Well, sometimes too. It depends.“ He turned around, skating backwards in front of her. „You eat very traditional though.“

„Mmmh“, she hummed. „Mama doesn't really like cooking other foods, I think it's because she is so used to our culture. Although we lived here for ten years.“

 

_Ten years?_

 

„I thought you were born here?“

„No. Neither I, Ivan, or Natalia. We were all born in Russia. We still have Russian passports.“

„I didn't know that,“ Berwald admitted.

„That's why we have such thick accents“, Katya pointed to her mouth. „We learnt English through going to school and talking with people. Mama and Papa could not teach us, they couldn't speak it too well themselves. They still speak very broken English.“

„How come Natalia does not have one?“

She slowed down, leaving a distance between her and Berwald. She looked over to her siblings, both still practicing their jumps and spins.

Berwald stopped to skate forward, scraping the ice. The sound interrupted Katya's thoughts, reminding her of his presence.

„Something wrong?“ He asked.

 

„No, but..“ Her eyes wandered back to the middle of the rink again. „Please don't make such remarks to my sister. About our heritage, I mean.“

 

He raised a brow, confused about her statement.

„Let's sit on the bench. I will tell you why.“ She waved to Ivan, catching his attention. Pointing to herself, Berwald and the bench, Ivan gave a nod.

Berwald took her hand to assist her getting on regular ground, seeing her legs wobble when stepping on the ground.

„Entering and leaving the rink is not easy for me, but once I'm on the ice it's just fine.“ She did not let go of his hand, leading him to the bench.

He gave her a confused look. Whatever it was that bugged her, it seemed to be a serious matter because now, Katya did not look like a mature, confident girl unlike her usual self. Quite the contrary. she looked very small and unsure of herself, resembling an intimidated child.

Stretching out her legs, she leaned back, shifting her weight on her hands.

„As I said, we moved here ten years ago.“ He sat down beside her.

„From Russia.“

„Exactly. Glushkovo, in Kaliningrad Oblast, precisely. Mama and Papa moved here because Papa's company offered him a new job here. The wage was a lot better. He earns way more now than he did back then.“

Berwald nodded. Moving because of financial benefits did not seem too much of a strange concept to him.

„We were very little back then. I was 7, Ivan and Natalia 5.“

Berwald turned his head to face her, surprised by their ages.

„They're the same age?“

He assumed that Ivan was older than Natalia, regarding him being a grade above her...

„Ivan skipped a grade. He is very smart, he gets only A's in Science and Maths. He even plans to do his A-levels in those subjects“, Katya explained. „He thinks about becoming a doctor.“ Berwald did not miss how chuffed she was of her brother's ambitions.

„And Natalia?“

„Something with dancing. She hasn't decided yet, but she would like to study dance. Especially ballet. She even mentioned dance therapy. That's a very tough job, the education is very rough.“

„She takes ballet lessons, doesn't she?“

„She and Ivan, yes.“ She observed Ivan dragging Natalia behind him. He was laughing, picking up on speed and dragging her along with him.

„Both of them? They are very close then.“

She nodded. „We all are, but people perceive her and Ivan as being closer than me and her. Which is“, her eyes averted back to him, „Bullshit, if I may say so.“

Amused, Berwald poked her side. „First time I 've heard you cussing. Doesn't quite fit you.“

She swat his hand away lightly. „I try not to, thank you very much. Anyway“, She continued. „When we moved here, Mama and Papa sent us to the same primary school.Me being the oldest one, I was two grades above Ivan and Natalia. Primary school was the worst time of our lives.“

 

She paused, letting the words sink in. Berwald stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt her.

 

„We could not speak any English, only knew of phrases like 'Hello' and 'How are you'. It was very hard for the other kinds to befriend us due to the language barrier. It was frustrating. The teachers were a tad overwhelmed with the situation and could not help us properly. They tried their best though. The others grew frustrated, too. They could not speak to us because we did not understand, and after a while it got very tiring for them to approach us. I felt very lonely back then.“ She crossed her legs, one blade pointing outward.

„Natalia and Ivan had each other, but it was hard for them, too. That's why she is so clingy when with him.“

Berwald nodded, understanding why Natalia did not let go of her brother.

„Then -I don't know why-, the kids started to be very mean to us. They made fun of us, ridiculed us, treated us rudely just because we did not speak the same language. The teachers saw the problem and proposed our parents to send us to a language school. We did, but the bullying continued for years. Natalia got the worst of it because she was very timid back then. It made her appear weak, and it was easier for the other children to pick on her. It was so bad, a few kids even started to attack us physically.“

She sighed. „I got into a lot of fights back then. A Turkish boy was especially keen on provoking me and I hit him in response. Once I kicked him so hard, he fell to the ground and hit his head.“

 

Berwald's eyes widened in surprise. „Oh my god.“ He couldn't imagine her fighting someone, she seemed too kind and polite as to act violent.

 

„Needless to say, Mama and Papa were not fond of me coming home with bruises, scars, bloody noses and what not. I got lots of scolding for getting into those fights.“ She placed a hand in front of her mischievous smile. „I was a tough kid back then.“

„I would give everything to see you kicking someone's arse.“

„Too bad I calmed down. Luckily, I don't need to fight anymore. Back then, the bullying was a huge problem. Ivan and Natalia were scared of going to school, little Ivan even got terrible stomach pains in the morning when he had to go there. It was due to stress, I think. Natalia developed the habit to cry down in our basement for hours, hiding in a cupboard. No one knew about that, we thought she played with old toys when going to the basement. I only found out when I was looking for something, and she made me promise not to tell our parents. She only had us, after all.“

Suddenly, he found himself having asked for too much.

„Two years later, Ivan managed to skip a grade. Despite the bullying, he put a lot of effort into school and the teachers recognised his hard work. Natalia did not have bad grades, but she wasn't good enough to skip. And that's when the bullying became a lot worse for her.“

He noticed her hands forming to fists. Katya's jaw clenched, her face looking tense and serious.

„They made fun of her for being a foreigner. I and Ivan quit going to language school when we felt like having learnt enough, but Natalia continued to go there until secondary school started. She worked very hard on speaking English as fluent as possible, practicing her skills at home. When listening to the radio or watching TV, she repeated what they said. She sang along to English songs, copying their pronounciation. That's how she got rid of her accent. But still, it wasn't enough. The bullying continued, regardless of her English. I think the others got so used bullying her , they did not even care whether she sounded foreign or not. But that wasn't the only reason they bullied her.“

 

The tall blond shifted. „What was the other reason?“

 

„Ivan and me are siblings, but we are not related to Natalia by blood.“She turned her head, facing him directly.

 

„Our parents took her in when she was an infant. Her biological parents died; her father suffered a lethal accident during work and her mother committed suicide out of depression.“ She shook her head. „Mama knew them personally. Taking Natalia in was not even a question.“ Her voice took on a serious tone, making her appear exhausted.

„Do other people know about her adoption?“

Katya nodded.. „That's how the kids found out. When teachers called us by names, everyone knew by then that she goes by Arlovskaya, not Braginsky.“

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed. Berwald tried to take it all in, reflecting on her words.

He remembered how embarassed Natalia was, back then when the three girls found him in the study room. She avoided using Russian terms, unlike her sister who calls her relatives 'babushka' and 'papa', showing no embarrassment or uncomfort when doing so. Berwald was not sure whether he heard Natalia refer to Ivan as 'Vanya' except for when he first met her.

Ivan and his sister were still on the ice. Natalia held her brother's hands, both of them spinning in a circle.

He placed a hand on top of Katya's. Startled by the sudden touch, Katya jolted a little. „I am sorry that people treated you that way. None of you deserved it.“ He gave her hand a light squeeze.

Katya's eyes darted back to her siblings, watching them spin around. „For her, it is a very sensitive topic. She does not like to be reminded of all of this.“

He nodded. „Understood.“ Standing up, he offered her a hand.

„Wanna go back on the ice?“

Katya smiled brightly, taking his hand. „Sure.“

Pulling herself up, both entered the ice again, Katya not needing his assistance this time. Natalia and Ivan approached them, the taller brother smiling sweetly at his older sister and pulling her with him toward the middle of the ice.

 

Natalia stood beside Berwald, adjusting her gloves.

„Want me to teach you how to spin?“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologise to russian people for any inaccuracies. i asked my parents for help, but their russian is quite rusty. obvious polish person struggling to differentiate between polish pierogi and the russian equivalent. i went with pielemieni instead. (^▽^)


	8. handla kläder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizaveta and Berwald kick everyone's arse during P.E. and later on, they go shopping with some other girls and Feliks.

„Out of my way!“

 

The team scattered away from Elizaveta, desperately trying to get away from her. Only Gilbert was brave enough to attempt taking the ball away from her. Berwald ran over to him, blocking his way.

 

Elizaveta flashed the blond a smile, her shiny face practically gleaming with enthusiasm. The brown side fringe sticked to her forehead, damp from the sweat. Her appearance reminded Berwald of a pride warrior.

 

_Intimidating, to say the least._

 

She passed him the ball. Berwald ran toward the goal, dodging the opponents. His movements were fast, making it harder for anyone to catch up with him. Noticing Elizaveta standing alone, he kicked the ball toward her. The brunette received it, bolting it toward the goal. The others watched the ball hit the net with avail.

 

„Goaaaaal!“ Elizaveta yelled, jumping into the air. Her pony tail made a whipping sound.

 

A shrill whistle announced the end of class. „ 3 : 0. Everyone, go change. That's it for today!“

 

Berwald crouched down on the floor, breathing heavily. He felt exhaustion dragging on his muscles. The game was intense, and now it demanded its tribute. Swiping the sweat from his forehead, he tried to even out his breathing.

 

A hand clasped on his wet back. „Good job, buddy.“

 

He looked up to see Elizaveta grinning down on him. Her breath was hitched as well.

 

„Thanks.“

 

She offered him a hand. „Up we go!“ She pulled him up with ease, her arm muscles flexing visibly.

 

„That was a good game.“ Berwald exclaimed, walkign along her side.

 

„It was. Did you see poor Toris running away from me? I swear, I never saw him run that fast“, she chimed. Berwald grinned, remembering the boy practically fleeing from her.

 

„Oh, your phone is buzzing.“

 

Picking up his vibrating phone from the bench, he noticed a new message on the dsplay. He tapped on it to read it.

 

Standing beside him, Elizaveta picked a towel and dried her forehead. „What does it say?“

 

He re-adjusted his glasses. „Feliks wants to go shopping. Wanna come with us?“

 

The shorter girl nodded, swinging the towel over her shoulder. „Sure. I'll text him back when I get back to the dressing room.“ Berwald handed Elizaveta her water bottle, sliding his phone back to his pocket.

 

Striding toward the boys changing room, he waved her good-bye. „See ya later.“

 

 

 

Berwald left the gym. Having changed into a new t-shirt, he was relieved to not feel anymore dampness on his back. He still had to take a shower once he got home.

 

His steps quickened when marching to Natalia, already waiting for him. He noticed her absently staring into the air whilst leaning against the wall.

 

It took her a moment until she faced him directly, acknowledging his presence. He leaned down to press his cheek onto hers, greeting her like they usually do. Berwald felt himself growing more comfortable with greeting his friends. The urge to hesitate disappeared, much to his relief.

 

„Where's your brother?“ Berwald raised a brow. It was unusual seeing her without Ivan or Katya. He did not like her being left alone, as odd as it may sound.

 

„He just left to work in the library. Something about a research paper for biology, he said.“ Her hand removed a loose strand of hair from her mouth. Natalia wore her hair in a bun again, two loose strands framing her face. Her fringe was parted in the middle, as always.

 

He eyed her hair. „Your hair looks nice when in a bun.“

 

„I need to dye it again, though. My roots are showing through.“ She seperated her hair near the scalp with her fingers, showing Berwald the darker hair underneath.

 

„If you want to, we could go to the hair dresser. Me, you and Feliks. He wants to go shopping today.“ He paused. „Elizaveta comes too.“

 

She nodded. „Alright. But first, I need to go home and ask for money. I don't have enough with me right now. And you,“ her brows furrowed. “You need a shower.“

 

Berwald shook his head, an amused smile on his lips.

 

Both of them rode the bus home, talking about their favourite hair dressers. Feliks sent them another text, letting them know of Erika coming along as well. He reminded them to meet at the shopping centre in about an hour.

 

„Plenty of time to get ready then,“ Natalia remarked.

 

 

 

After stepping out of the shower, Berwald dried himself with a towel. He applied deodorant and put on a fresh shirt, then combed his hair. He decided to let his hair dry on its own, rubbing his towel over his head a second time. When fully dressed, he left the bathroom and strolled to the kitchen, wanting to snack on something before he left.

 

He noticed his mother standing in front of the counter, a notepad and pen spread out on the counter. Her hand cupped her chin, her fingers brushing against her wavy hair. Berwald took an apple from the fruit basket and went over to the sink to wash it.

 

„Hi, mum.“

 

„Hello, dear.“ Her head turned around to face him. She gave him a small smile.

 

He nodded toward the notepad. „ Vad gör du?“

 

„Funderar på matvaror. Do you need anything from the store?“

 

He shook his head. „Although I need some white glue. But I think I'll get it myself.“ He took a rag and dried the apple quickly, drying his hands as well. „I'm going out today. Is that OK with you?“

 

She nodded, scribbling something down on the pad. „Of course. Is Natalia going to be with you?“

 

„Ja, och några andras. Feliks, Elizaveta samt Erika.“

 

„That's nice. I wish you fun then.“ She glanced at the clock. Her mouth formed a msall 'o'. „I need to get going.“ Walking over to him, she placed a quick peck on his forehead. „Dad will be back at 7. Don't be out for too long.“

 

He gave another nod. „ I doubt we will stay for that long. I have my phone with me, in case you want to check on me.“

 

„Good to know.“ She took the key hanging from the wall and turned around. „Bye, Berwald.“

 

„Bye, mum.“

 

 

 

Feliks, Elizaveta and Erika stood at the bus stop, waiting for Natalia and Berwald to come. When they got out of the bus, greetings were exchanged and the group decided to hit the shops soon. „First“, Feliks announced, „Let's take care of Natalka here.“ His grin widened as he linked their arms together. „What hairdresser do you want to go to?“

 

The group kept Natalia company while the hair dresser took care of her hair, applying the dye onto her roots and washing it out after half an hour. She blowdried it straight according to the girl's wishes, making her hair look shiny and sleek. After checking in the mirror and receiving some compliments from the round, Natalia payed the hair dresser and soon the group left.

 

„Where to now?“ Berwald asked, trotting behind Feliks and Natalia with Erika and Elizaveta.

 

„What about H&M?“, Erika asked. „I need some new tights.“

 

Elizaveta nodded. „Their new crop tops look cute. I really want to check them out.“

 

„Oh, me too.“ Feliks added, his eyes wide open. „maybe we could choose some rad clothes for you, hmm?“ He nudged Natalia with his elbow, causing her to roll her eyes in annoyance.

 

„No crop tops“, she sneered.

 

„Ah come on, why not?“ The pleading tone in his voice revealed how much he wanted to pick out her clothes. His mind was already set on what clothes could comliment her figure, bringing out her best features.

 

She gave him an annoyed look „I don't like showing that much skin.“ She glanced back at Elizaveta. „Not that I judge you or anything, but it's not my cup of tea.“

 

The brunette held her hands up. „No problem, I don't take any offense.“

 

„Admit it, you just want to wear them to show off your abs“, Erika snickered.

 

„Ah, you found me out.“ Erika stuck out her tongue to Elizaveta, earning a small giggle from the brunette.

 

Berwald was clueless. „What are crop tops?“

 

„Tops that look like someone cut them off“, Feliks explained. „You know, like 'cropped'. They show your stomach.“

 

„Hm. Sounds interesting.“ The tall blonde looked at Natalia, suddenly feeling thankful for not being a girl. „I wouldn't want to wear them, though.“

 

„I bet you'd look great in them“, Feliks laughed.

 

A rosy colour began to spread on Berwald's cheeks as the group laughed along, joking about Berwald wearing other girl's fashion items.

 

„I would really like to see you in a maxi dress“, Natalia exclaimed.

 

Berwald raised a brow. „Is that a challenge?“

 

He earned a small 'ooh' from the round which erupted in more laughter.

 

„You would wear them?“, Natalia asked in a surprised voice.

 

He shrugged. „Sure, why not.“ He looked at the others. „Let's make this a game: you tell me what to wear and I will try it on in the store.“

 

Feliks turned around, clasping his hands together. „Oh my god, yes!“ He exclaimed.

 

Elizaveta and Erika exchanged amused looks, smirking at each other.

 

„Ok then, let's go.“

 

 

 

Berwald turned around, the fabric of the long dress swiveling around him. It reached to his ankles when he stood still. The group chanted and applauded in approval, Natalia covering her blushing face with her hand, a grin tugging on her lips. The tall blond lifted the fabric slightly on one side when inspecting himself in the mirror.

 

„Do you like it?“ Erika inquired.

 

„Sorry, I liked Elizaveta's skirt-and-button-down-combination more“, he looked up to meet her reflexion in the mirror. „The high-waisted skirt made me feel _sexy_. And those stockings...“ He bit his lip theatrically, tilting his head up in a delighted manner.

 

Loud laughter erupted from the group, Feliks slapping his hand against his thigh while Elizaveta threw her head back. Natalia clapped her hands and Erika was practically shaking with laughter.

Upon seeing his friends so cheerful, Berwald could not help but feel resolved, and a warm feeling began to spread from his stomach. A small smile began to form on his face, and he felt thrilled to having got to know them.

 

„Next is Feliks“, he announced. „Show me what you've got.“

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> Vad gör du?- what are you doing?  
> Funderar på matvaror - Thinking about groceries  
> Ja, och några andras. Yes, and a few others  
> samt - and

**Author's Note:**

> no worries, i will continue writing this. it is so much fun. please be patient, i will update soon.


End file.
